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Antec P180 Mid-Tower Case
 
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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
Antec
Dec. 21, 2005
First Impressions

The exterior of this case is silver, sleek, and wonderfully minimalist. The only thing you will see on the front of this case is the front I/O ports and door lock. If you look closely you will see how air makes its way into the case through vents on each side of the door. Along the top of the case you can see a plastic and mesh spoiler decorating the top 120mm TriCool exhaust fan. Initially the design included an all-plastic version of the spoiler which actually routed air towards the rear of the case, but they decided mesh looks cooler.

I quickly found out that this spoiler is not only flimsy, but it also sits pretty loosely in place and is extremely easy to knock off. Since the spoiler is so easy to remove, I thought there would be a logical reason. However, the only use I could think of is so it doesn't break when shipping. It couldn't be for aesthetic reasons because the case doesn't look good with the spoiler removed; there is a large indented space with holes for tabs following the cutout for the spoiler. I really would have preferred that Antec go with a steel or aluminum spoiler that is sturdy, held firmly in place, and it would be a huge plus if it could double as a case handle to help you pick up the case.


As with some of Antec's other recent cases, the door on the P180 opens up a full 270°. Behind the door are four 5.25" bays, power/reset buttons, two big doors that allow access to the fan filters, and a 3.5" bay.


The design of the side panels on this case is rather interesting. Traditionally, a side panel will have one or two materials, aluminum or steel, and possibly an acrylic window. The P180 has a unique side panel design, sandwiching plastic between aluminum to aid in dampening sound.

If you look at the rear of the case you will notice that the power supply is on the bottom, and there is a 120mm exhaust fan as well as an air duct next to the PCI slots. By looking at the rear of the case we can also tell that the motherboard tray is not removable (no surprise here). Aside from the power supply being on the bottom everything looks pretty normal. When we first saw this case at CES last year, the method for fastening the side panels had not yet been finalized. We were told they would probably end up using some stay-in-place thumbscrews, which would be pretty convenient because you couldn't lose them. However, they ended up opting for standard, removable thumbscrews for the left side panel, and for some reason or another, standard screws for the right side panel. Why they didn't just put four thumbscrews, I have no idea. Let's take a look inside.


Opening the Case

Opening the P180 is a pretty easy task. The side panels simply need to be unscrewed and then slid towards the rear. The panel does flex a bit, so you will need to push towards the edges rather than in the middle of the panel to slide it off. I would have liked to see some sort of handle sticking off the rear end of each side panel to make this an easy one-handed task, but I'll live.

The front door of the case swings out of the way easily and even rotates a full 270°. I'd like to note that the door apparently got warped a little bit over time, and after a couple of months of use I have noticed that it no longer sits flush when closed. This is probably because the door is made of two different materials and the plastic part shrunk a tad while the aluminum tried to retain its shape, causing the door to bow out a bit. Had the plastic panel been sandwiched between two aluminum panels similar to the construction of the case's side panels, this warping might have been avoided. However, it doesn't affect the closing of the door and it isn't really a big deal aside from the fact that it looks a little funny if you notice it. Removing the 5.25" and 3.5" plastic cover plates is a snap, literally. There are grooves on each side of every cover plate which allow you to easily pry them off with your finger(s). I was a little bothered by the twist-off stamped metal plates behind each of the cover plates however, as they are not only a safety hazard, they're also a pain to remove. I didn't remember to take photos of them before throwing them away, but take my word for it, they were there, and they were annoying.


On the front panel there are also a couple of 120mm air intakes hidden behind snap-shut doors. Opening these doors allows you access to the removable fan filters as well as to the removable plastic fan cage.

 
<< Previous
Page 2 of 5
Next >>
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions & Opening the Case
Page 3: Inside the Case
Page 4: Quality Check
Page 5: Conclusion


9 User Comments
1 - Posted by J2T on December 22, 2005 - 8:05 am

I like the looks from the outside, but the inside just seems too cluttered for my liking. Also, I just can't see myself going back to a case without a slide out motherboard tray. It seems like they tried to somewhat copy the Lian Li V series cases, but forgot a few things.

2 - Posted by handrail on December 22, 2005 - 10:51 am

that's really sad. i love my slk3700amb antec case. i'm kind of disappointed in antec.

3 - Posted by PsychoSnowMan on December 26, 2005 - 7:05 pm

You recommended the Cooler Mater Wavemaster over this one, but that case uses 80mm fans and looks to have somewhat restricted front air intake.
I want to buy a new case in that range/style area. I was looking at getting the P180 until I read your review. The Wavemaster sure looks like a viable option, but is that the case you would recommend the most for that market area, or did you just offer it up as one possible alternative?

4 - Posted by Kurtis on December 26, 2005 - 8:05 pm

well, in my review i said that the wavemaster doesn't have as many features (including silence), but overall it is a higher quality case. if you just want the features, i suppose the p180 is the better deal, but you need to be aware of the problems i stated in the review. it's not a bad case, just isn't as good as i would expect from antec in the quality department - i had too many problems with too many of those features.

the wavemaster could be turned into a pretty quiet case if you take the effort to replace all the fans with quieter ones and have all silent components.

i think to get the quality we look for in cases with the featureset you see in the p180, you'd have to look towards cases from the likes of Lian-Li. Of course, that's a whole different price point.

what i recommend you do is go back to my p180 review and read closely each of the pages and jot down the issues i mention which you are concerned about. don't just skip to the conclusion and take my final recommendation as the law, you may not care that much about the individual issues i experienced.

5 - Posted by PsychoSnowMan on December 26, 2005 - 9:41 pm

Thanks, I did read through the entire article but I'll look through it again. They both look like pretty good cases I just need to make up my mind about what I want.

6 - Posted by Dyrewolph on December 26, 2005 - 9:50 pm

have a look at these fans if you're going for something quiet ^_^

that's an australian store but i'm certain you can get them elsewhere

http://www.pccasegear.com/category139_1.htm

7 - Posted by Kurtis on December 27, 2005 - 12:03 am

silenx, pfft.

just go with panaflo or papst. :)

8 - Posted by Dyrewolph on December 27, 2005 - 2:46 am

SilenX 80mm - 28CFM at 14dBA
Papst 80mm - 26CFM at 19dBA
Panaflo 80mm (low speed) - 24CFM at 21dBA

you can also get the SilenX in red blue or green led at the same specs...

9 - Posted by Kurtis on December 27, 2005 - 2:54 am

just because a manufacturer lists something in the specs doesn't mean it is true. every manufacturer has the right to test their products with some degree of freedom. they may have measured sound from further away etc.

papst and panaflo are just really well known for their quality and silence - though they also make some louder high-airflow fans too.

for that matter, nexus also makes some really quiet fans i think. silenx ones may be silent, they're just not as well known as the two i mentioned.

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